Review of Samsung refrigerators

Samsung is a company that needs no introduction. From mobile phones, to televisions to washing machines – and yes, refrigerators – Samsung is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. While there is much hype around their Galaxy smartphones, what you might not know is that they produce an impressive range of refrigerators. The old humble fridge is not lost on Samsung, and what they do offer might excite you. That’s a lot to be said about an appliance a lot of people don’t pay a lot of mind to.

Samsung is a solid performer in our annual customer reviews for fridges, so you’re likely to find one that suits your kitchen. Samsung first began producing refrigerators way back in 1974, and their focus on the technology and usability has ensured they remain a popular choice. So without further ado, let’s review the range of Samsung’s fridges.

What fridges does Samsung offer?

Samsung – as you’d expect – has a large range of fridges of all different shapes and sizes. There tends to be four different types of fridges that Samsung specializes in:

Top Mounts, which tend to be the cheapest

Bottom Mounts, which tend to be more energy-efficient

Side-by-Sides, which are usually most convenient

French Doors, which are usually the biggest and most innovative

They also have a range of different power consumption figures, so we’ve compared how much you can expect to pay for each type of fridge, using the electricity price of 33c/kWh. Your provider may charge for electricity at a different rate.

Top Mount Fridges

Samsung is no slouch when it comes to the tried-and-true top mount fridge. It’s got a freezer on top for easy access, and they tend to be the cheapest. One such model is the 400L Samsung (SR400LSTC) pictured. Its key features are:

Separate cooling evaporator for fridge and freezer for ultimate control

Conversion mode turns its freezer into a fridge for even more storage

Easy-slide, adjustable shelving

Stainless steel finish that’s easy to clean

285L is dedicated to the fridge and 115L for the freezer. It’s rated at 3.5 stars for energy-efficiency, and consumes 349kWh. This fridge could cost around $115 in electricity to keep running per year. Retailing for around $1,300, it is right at the average Aussie expenditure of $1,298 for a fridge, as we discovered in our 2016 Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

Bottom Mount Fridges

Bottom mount fridges tend to be the most popular, and are generally the most energy-efficient type of fridge. With the freezer on the bottom, and fridge up top, you can’t really go wrong with these humble beauties. Take for example the 458L Samsung (SRL458ELS). 307L is dedicated to the fridge, while 149L is for the freezer. It features:

Layered steel and ‘Cyclopentane’ insulation, which aid in energy-efficiency

Flip-up shelving for flexibility

Digital LED for temperature control

It’s a fairly efficient model, boasting four-stars. It consumes 330kWh, which could result in electricity costs of around $109 a year. It retails for around $1,600, which makes it a bit more expensive than the top mount above, but you might find the electricity savings worth it over time.

Side-by-Side Fridges

Samsung also has you covered in the side-by-side fridge range. Not only are these fridges ultra-convenient with generally larger freezer volumes, they are generally more feature-packed and larger overall. Take for example the 603L model (SRS603HLS) featured in the video above. Its massive capacity makes it suitable for the whole family. Its key features are:

Myriad flexible shelving solutions

239L freezer, and 364L fridge

Easy-access drinks hatch at the front of the fridge

LED lighting and larger crisper bins for food that’s easy to store and find

With this impressive range of features, it’s also no shocker when it comes to the price – expect to pay around $1,900, which is great value for a fridge of this size. Its energy-efficiency isn’t outstanding, and that’s to be expected; it’s rated at 2.5-stars, and it’ll consume 600kWh. This could subsequently result in electricity costs of around $198 for the year.

French Door Fridges

If you’re after the ultimate in refrigeration, then look no further than a French door fridge. They tend to be the most feature-packed, but also the most expensive. Samsung also offers a large range of French door fridges, like the 680L unit (SRF679SWLS) pictured. It costs about $4,800, and with this money you’d expect a large range of features:

Four-door fridge. Main fridge is 387L; mid-drawer divider is 87L and is for extra fruits, veggies and snacks. The freezer drawer is 206L, making it handy for bulk meat storage.

Ice maker

Large range of flexible shelving and crispers for the ultimate in food storage

With this multi-zone design, you are afforded greater flexibility and control over how your foods are stored. With a fridge this size, its power consumption isn’t too bad; it’s rated 2.5 stars for energy-efficiency, and it consumes 585kWh. This would result in electricity costs of $193 for the year. If you’re serious about your fridge then this beauty might just be on your list.

Is a Samsung fridge worth the money?

Samsung has a large range of fridges across a range of different price points, so chances are there’s a fridge out there that’s right for you and your budget. As they scored four-stars across the board in our Customer Satisfaction Ratings, you can expect a Samsung fridge to be your noble steed for quite some time.

Understandably, however, their most impressive fridges also fetch the highest price tags. The French door fridge above, for example, costs a pretty penny at close to $5,000, and there are fridges by Samsung that exceed this amount as well. The feature-packed fridges are also not particularly energy-efficient; if you want efficiency, you’ll probably have to be steered towards a simpler bottom-mount fridge, and these are also a lot cheaper.

Overall, Samsung offers a range of fridges to suit a lot of budgets, but if you want the latest technology and features that they are known for, you’ll have to cough up a fair bit of money, and also compromise on energy-efficiency.